Industrial

The industrial market space is a key vertical for OEM's and embedded devices, with a host of Windows Embedded operating systems to suit all devices...

Windows XP Professional for Embedded Systems

As a key market for embedded devices, the flexibility offered by XP Professional and PC style hardware allows bespoke SCADA or HMI software applications to be developed and deployed quickly. XP Professional for Embedded Systems is XP Professional as we all know it only with licensing differences.

Some benefits include:

• Restricted to a specific function device – not general purpose
• The System is licensed not the HDD so replacement of HDD does not lead to re-licensing and a new cost
• Available until 2016 only from the distributor channel
• No configuration of OS required
• Same pricing as XP professional used on standard desktops
• Can avoid online activation for deployments of 1000+ units per annum
  

Windows XP Embedded

Industrial environments are not the most PC friendly, the moving parts such as HDD’s and fans which are found in standard desktop PC’s are often a major source of failure. Obvious PC platforms running XP Professional are often the target of viruses or unauthorised software installation.

Windows XP Embedded addresses these issues and others by:

• Supporting Solid State media and removing moving parts from the system improving reliability
• Allowing image customisation to remove support for applications other than those authorised.
  Installing an activated image thus reducing deployment or ‘manufacturing’ cost for all volumes
• Reducing the overall component cost (XPe is lower cost than XP Professional)
• Running in a ‘Headless’ state as a ‘black box’ disguising the fact that PC technology is being used removing temptation to ‘tinker’
• Features such as Enhanced Write Filter enable safe recovery of a system even in the event of a catastrophic power failure

Often the use of PC-based technologies lead to vulnerabilities to external security attacks (DNS, Virus…). This has led to the use of IT infrastructure ‘building blocks’ such as firewalls being implemented on the factory floor.

Also a lot of the factory floor infrastructure is based upon Microsoft Technologies enabling differentiating features to be developed without having to develop the complete solution from OS upwards.

Longevity of supply and support can often be at odds with the need of most manufacturing sites to have a 5 year+ ROI on all installations.

Microsoft has addressed this requirement and others by:

• Supporting the Classic Server technologies through the embedded channel beyond their EOL through commercial channels
• Allowing more specific pricing based upon the technologies used hence reducing overall costs